Summary: Bilbo enlists the company of Ori for Beorn's favor, unknowingly inciting the jealousy of a certain dwarf...

Breakfast after that turned out to be a bit more relaxed given that everyone sat around doing nothing and I decided that I would just deal with what I inevitably brought on myself.

Having thrown his clothes on haphazardly and content to look like a very startled mess, Kili joined us in the dining hall, giving his morning greetings while he gathered a few items of food onto a plate. He charmed Ori with a compliment at what the shy dwarf was knitting before venturing off to the outside porch to sit down and bask in the warm sun. Fili and Thorin still sat by the doorway, cleaning their weapons but every so often, I would feel Fili's eyes lingering on me. I figured it was because of the fact that I was still in my shift but as Thorin and Dwalin decided not to care about it, I found it pointless to hurry my eating just to accommodate them.

I shrugged off the momentary feeling of discomfort that I felt from sitting there in just what I considered my undergarments and enjoyed the first portion that I ate, chewing apple slices and eating biscuits that were honeyed and delicious. They sat heavily in my stomach and the nausea from being manhandled around quickly subsided with the fresh addition of food.

A quick glance around the room revealed that while the dwarves were up and about and doing whatever activity they fancied, Gandalf was no where to be seen and neither was Beorn. I remembered what Beorn told me the night before about how he would be gone all day but I was left wondering if he brought along Gandalf without our knowing?

"Has anyone seen Gandalf?"

I asked out of curiosity, looking around at the others; my first suspicions were proven to be correct in that the dwarves hadn't notice that Gandalf was conveniently absent. I watched as they exchanged glances with one another, asking the same question silently if someone had seen our wizard. I rolled my eyes at the silence because I found it amusing and down right ridiculous that I was the only one who even noticed that Gandalf had mysteriously disappeared off somewhere!

"I woke early this morning and he was already gone."

Fili replied distractedly, working a cloth over his blade as he went back to cleaning it. The way he said it definitely gave me the impression that he thought it nothing special that Gandalf decided to wander off but I felt my eyes narrow at the thought; Beorn and Gandalf were both missing from the compound, or rather Beorn willingly left us here in Gandalf's care and the very same wizard decided to just go off and leave us unsupervised. He knew what the dwarves were like and given his warning on his friend having a temper, why would he chance that we might cause problems?

Did truly no one else seem to think that that was strange?

A quick glance around confirmed that no one else seemed to even want to expend the energy to theorize what the wizard and our host could be up to. In the end, I had to just drop it and go back to eating, enjoying the way the open door allowed a soft breeze to run through the dining hall. From what I could tell, the sun was beating down nicely outside and with the lively breeze, the heat from the day before was only a bitter memory.

"Almost done?"

My attention was stolen away from the view of the rafters high above us, my eyebrows automatically knitting in confusion at Dwalin's question so impatiently asked, "No, why?"

His attitude irked me for some reason, the fact that I was up and about not enough to get him to leave me be for more than a few minutes. I also had figured that with my being there that whatever obligation Dwalin had to Thorin would be done and over with and I would be left to my own devices for the rest of the day. Well, given that whatever special interest Dwalin had in me, I was determined not to be frazzled by it or shoved along.

Besides, if I was to be in my undergarments for the duration of my meal, I wasn't about to let anyone push me around! I would eat to my own sense of urgency!

"We've got trainin' to do. I want you ready for real swords today so hurry up."

The confusion on my face didn't really lessen even when I knew why he wanted me to hurry; in fact, I ended up reclining a bit while in my seat, not even bothering with proper table manners as I allowed myself to lean heavily onto an elbow that didn't even mind being on the table. His reaction to my impudence was enough to have me smiling, his eyes darkening and a sneer of annoyance threatening to show.

His expression only got better when when he noticed that I actually slowed down on my next bite, chewing so slowly that he started to become impatient with it.

The show continued, my eating slow and staring at Dwalin as he steadily grew more and more exasperated by my needless defiance. I was sure I was being no better than the brothers, who were always content to make trouble for the older dwarves but I found that I didn't much care.

I was starting to get rather full when I decided to let Dwalin know that I actually couldn't train with him until later anyway; no one else knew of what Beorn asked of me and I would need to tell them so that they didn't think I was being needlessly rude.

It would've been a sight though to have me brush off Dwalin's training regime so that I could go and pick flowers just for the sheer joy of it.

As soon as I swallowed the mouthful of bread, I tossed the rest down on my plate, "I can't train until later anyway. Beorn asked me to do a favor for him."

That made him curious, his attention now focused solely on me, "What favor is that, laddie?"

I noticed the look on his face and the tone in his voice, a light fluttering of a sensation across my cheek that instantly made me aware that he was being protective of me. My thoughts wandered back to the night before when he carried me to bed, the time in the thunder-battle, and even when he gave me his cloak when it was pouring rain. I found myself grinning at the idea that Dwalin was like a silent protector to me.

A quick turn to look at Thorin and Fili behind me and I saw the same curiosity in their eyes, the protective gaze more noticeable on Fili's face than on Thorin's.

As I had been tempted to do since first sitting down for breakfast, I rolled my eyes at how overbearing they were being. I stuffed another piece of bread in my mouth, already preparing the next by slathering it with a generous amount of honey.

"It's a secret."

I teasingly decided to leave it at that, swiveling around in my spot on the bench and hopping down. I nibbled on the bread that I still carried with me as I left the dining hall and all the dwarves, sure that they looked at me in surprise and shock at having so casually dismissed Dwalin.

Once I was back in the room that I currently shared with Thorin, I finished up my snack and gathered up my various articles of clothing that were still strewn about. I laid them out on the bed, my nose wrinkling in distaste at how they were wrinkled and dirtied from the days before; I sniffed my shirt and really looked at it, my distaste showing for how filthy it still was despite having washed it only a few days before. Adventuring really was quite awful when it came to having clean clothes though I figured not grabbing my bag again after I smacked Gollum with it was more to blame for that than the adventure itself.

Speaking apart from my clothing, I actually had to remind myself that if my clothes were bad enough to make me grimace that my actual body must have smelled something even more foul. I was a hobbit and if Lobelia were here, she would probably have no short amount of harsh words for how much I allowed myself to fall from grace.

I needed to clean myself up. Badly.

I noticed a washing basin on the far side table and when I went closer to grab it and head out to the well that I saw the day before, I noticed that it was already filled with clean water. A quick testing with my finger made me groan from how cool it was, equal parts pleasure at the thought of washing up and also a bitterness for when I would possibly ever again feel a warm bath. Nonetheless, I had to be grateful for the fact that it was there and ready for me, something that I assumed could only have come from Thorin collecting it earlier in the morning while I was sleeping. I gratefully took the washing cloth that was already laid beside it and scrubbed what I could from my skin with the soap that was nearby.

I would have to see about washing my clothes and hair later on, I ruminated over as I got dressed again, carefully tying the ties to the various under layers that I wore and buttoning my skirt and shirt into place. Once my suspenders were over my shoulders and checked so that they weren't twisted, I opted to wear my vest since it was a nice enough day and buttoned it with its one lame button before I heading back off to the main dining hall.

Most of the dwarves had scurried off by then with the others smoking near the fire pit and drinking again; I shuddered at the memory of drinking more, my stomach doing flips from the memory of how much everyone drank the night before.

Over in the corner, I spotted Ori with his brothers, quiet and knitting while he listened to them chat back and forth about whatever it was they normally talked about. They seemed animated and Dori looked red in the face, most likely yelling at his younger brother for whatever new slight the snarky dwarf must have done or said. Though I knew I could have easily asked Thorin, Fili, or Kili to join me while I collected the flowers that Beorn told me to, I wanted company that would actually appreciate the beauty behind what I was collecting.

The person who I wanted to share my time with while doing the task given to me was Ori since he seemed to be the only dwarf in the company who I thought would appreciate going out on a nice stroll through Beorn's gardens. Maybe we could even pick some flowers that he liked?

"Pardon me, Ori, but do you think I could request your presence?"

The three brothers looked up at me from where they sat, an odd look on their faces that wondered what in the world could Ori actually be specifically requested for while the youngest brother himself blushed hotly and fumbled with the knitting needles in his hands, "My presence?"

"Yes," I beamed at him, my palms delighting in how the fluttering of fur tickled slightly, "I'd like your company while I attend to my task."

Ori nearly dropped the needles such was his nervousness and confusion but my smile and the way I seemed to bounce with energy at the prospect of him joining me made him reconsider. His eyes darted to Dori and when the older dwarf said nothing, Ori nodded and set his needles back into his bag before standing up to join me, "I-I'd love to, Miss Bilbo."

I hadn't taken very long to wash up and come back out to the dining hall but when Ori and I walked out onto the porch, I saw that Thorin was no where to be seen while Fili and Kili lounged off to the side out of view. They were engaged in low conversation but once Kili saw me, both of them became distracted. Their expressions both were that of confusion at the sight of Ori and I together.

"What's going on here?"

Kili chuckled, his voice teasing at me while his eyes locked onto Ori; he positively oozed charm at the quiet and reserved dwarf, his voice dropping an octave and his eyes becoming heavy lidded. Kili was a natural charmer, not having to do much work in order to woo anyone but the effort the current attempt made me roll my eyes because of how obviously teasing it was. Ori was not immune to it even though he must have known it was just a jest, blushing even further when it became clear that Kili's full attention was on him.

With a shove at his brother to knock it off, Fili's attention was on us, "You two off somewhere?"

"Off to the gardens, actually."

I hooked my arm through Ori's and dragged him off to the garden that I originally saw Beorn in, the one that was hidden behind the main house. It was by far the biggest garden that he tended and in it were a vast collection of different breeds of flowers that varied from color and texture. Upon rounding the back of the house, I saw that some of Beorn's animals tended to the flowers, giving us a passing glance of interest before continuing their work.

We walked through the giant patches of flowers, careful to stay on the dirt path that Beorn laid out for the animals and he to work on so that they didn't needlessly crush any flower patch while they cared for another. The flowers were gorgeous and from the way that Ori's eyes lit up, he thought so too, fingering them gently and leaning down to sniff at some of them. As a hobbit and friend of Gaffer Gamgee, I had a vast knowledge of flowers and looking around, I saw just in my vicinity alone the sight of daisies, tulips, and sunflowers.

"So, Miss Bilbo, what favor did Beorn ask from you?"

Absentmindedly, I unhooked my arm from Ori's and wandered the garden, feeling the healthy soil beneath my feet and the sun high above my head. "He asked me to pick the flowers that I found most beautiful."

I leaned down as I explained, cupping a light blue bellflower so that I could see it up close. It was gorgeous but it was not the most beautiful flower I saw in Beorn's garden. "Do you like flowers, Ori?"

Ori followed closely behind me, keeping me company as I originally requested but he stopped as well and eyed the flowers closer when he wanted to. Beorn's garden was full of colorful flowers but more than that, there were flowers with colors that I never knew to be possible before. I spied a rose bush that lurked near one of the oak trees but it wasn't the normal red that I was used to seeing but a pale pink.

"I do, though I never get to see quite so many as here. Dori and Nori made me a garden at home but I only grow Kaffer lilies."

I listened as Ori told me all about his garden back in Ered Luin, how a lot of it was a trial and error sort of endeavor since dwarves did not make it a point to know anything about the raising of plants. His eyes glowed brightly as he explained about how he lost plenty of flowers to poor soil care and just because there wasn't enough natural sunlight available where their house was. Kaffer lilies, Ori noted, was a type of flower that came from a traveling caravan and grew best in shade so given the location of their house, it was an ideal flower to have.

We went through the gardens, talking about flowers and Ered Luin and I managed to decipher through his stories that Dori and Nori cared a lot about him and did most of everything to make him happy. To Ori, it sounded of doting and being overbearing but in reality, it felt like they were making sure that he wanted for nothing.

I also discovered that Ori truly had been the best pick to be my companion for this, a lot of our flower knowledge being on par with one another's; what I knew from Gaffer overlapped nicely with the knowledge that Ori gleamed from books, their pictures the only way that he could identify some of the flowers he saw in Beorn's gardens.

"Sunflowers!"

He beamed happily, his voice a happy brush of fur once more on my palms, as he darted off down one of the pathways and led me to a patch of sunflowers. Sunflowers were common enough in the Shire so I was a bit taken aback by how enthusiastic Ori was for them. Some of the sunflowers were the normal size of what I'd seen back home but others were massive, their heads eagerly facing the sun for sustenance easily as big as my own.

"Do you think Beorn would mind if I picked one?"

"I do believe that was my task." I giggled in reply to his nervous question, watching as Ori's shy expression widened into a big smile. He was careful in his choosing of which one he wanted and gentle in its removal, his fingers delicately holding the large flower, its yellow petals so vividly perfect.

"Sunflowers only grow where there can be good sunlight... I've only ever seen them in books."

After that, Ori joined me again walking through the garden, both of us looking over the flowers and I wondering which ones I found to be merely pretty and which ones I found beautiful. Beorn's garden led us eventually to a section of trees that sat along the back of the horse stables, their pink blossoms fluttering in the breeze.

"Those are beautiful..."

Ori's awe was mirrored by my own because even though I recognized the tree and the flowers blooming along its branches, the peach blossoms that were before us were gorgeous.

"So this is what you dodged training for? Flower picking?"

So in awe of the beautiful tree, Ori and I both jumped at the sound of Kili's voice, his voice pinching at me sharply while his tone was baffled and amused. I turned just as the brothers caught up with Ori, looking over at the tree and dismissing it entirely within the same second. While Kili poked at the sunflower that Ori still held in his hands, Fili approached me.

"So why are you picking flowers anyway?"

I wanted to laugh at the fact that the brothers were being such a bother, discontent to be ignored by the younger members of the company when we had free time. In a way, they were so used to me constantly fawning over them and staying near them that I really had no one else to blame but myself for their behavior. Nevertheless, I rolled my eyes and approached the tree, indicating for Fili to come up behind me and lift me up. "Help me up, I want these ones."

I felt Fili come up behind me and grip me by the hips, easily lifting me and holding me up while I reached for a low hanging branch and picked two of the blossoms.

"You didn't answer my question, Miss Hobbit."

I smiled at the light teasing of his voice, the smile on his face that made him look playful and young; at the same time, Kili had plucked a few pieces of grass from the ground and looked around, "I could never understand why people like flowers. Can't eat them, can't keep them. What's the point?"

Once I was back on my feet, I waved to Ori to follow me and ignore the brothers. Funnily enough, I noticed that even though they did not approve of our activity, they followed after us, watching Ori and I as we talked about how pretty the peach blossom was.

I had a fondness for white and pink flowers and as we came back around to the guest section of the main house, I noticed that we were upon the patch of flowers that had types that I didn't recognize.

"Just because you two have no love of flowers doesn't mean the rest of us don't." I grinned back at the two of them and strolled with Ori onward to the garden, "Ori and I happen to love them and he's been a wonderful companion so far."

"So the flowers are for Ori, are they?"

Fili hustled up to almost block my path, his eyes darting between Ori and I, wondering just what the connection was there between us where I would possibly want to give him a gift. I ignored the thought because of how wrong it was and I wasn't alone with that notion since I heard Kili's laughter from Ori's other side, "Don't be silly, they're obviously for us."

"They're actually for Beorn and if you two don't have anything productive to do, then go away!"

I knew that my voice was a bit more forceful than it needed to be to get the point across but it was frustrating having been shadowed all morning by Dwalin and now by them. If they weren't going to be helpful while Ori and I looked around in Beorn's gardens, then they might as well sod off! The expression on my face was more than enough for them to know that I didn't much want their company, the both of them looking a little like wounded animals before Kili tugged Fili off back to the house.

Now left alone with Ori again, I smiled at him and directed us onward, "Shall we continue?"

It was the afternoon by the time Ori and I finished our little adventure through Beorn's gardens, ogling over flowers and telling each other even more stories about our families. I found that in Ori's presence, it was easier to talk about my Mum, who loved gardening and planting flowers and then spreading them around in vases all around the house on sunny days. Likewise, Ori also loved to hear about my Dad, who used to be just as interested in books as he was.

In return, I heard a few too many embarrassing stories about Dori and Nori and how utterly cluttered their home was from how much Dori saved and how much Nori acquired through his less than honest methods. I also discovered that unlike Erebor where the city was completely under the mountain, Ered Luin sprawled with its main section underneath the rock of the mountains and its markets and lower classes outside under the sky.

Ori's growling stomach was the real reason why we decided to call it a day, and looking at my choices, I felt that I truly had picked the most beautiful out of Beorn's entire garden. The peach blossoms, white orchids, and purple asters were each gorgeous in their own little ways and looked good when held together in my hand. I was satisfied with my choices and left Ori so that he could eat and I could figure out where Beorn's room was.

As I didn't feel like wandering around Beorn's house without any idea as to where I was going, I found a dog that could help me and after asking him to show me the way to Beorn's room, I was kindly led there and left alone. Beorn's room was equally as massive as he was, having more than enough room for himself and a guest should he want it without any difficulty.

The bed was made of the same oak as the rest of his house, the dark varnish shining from what light was available from the hallway and the window. The rest of the room was decorated with tall side tables, a dresser filled with trinkets, and a closet that had clothing strewn about in a hurry. As I didn't want to be rude and linger in Beorn's room, I hurried to the end of Beorn's bed and set the bundle of flowers down just as he requested.

I hurried out of the room after that, careful to be quiet about shutting the giant door, and thought of getting a bite to eat before I went and found Dwalin. I actually was quite interested in the training that both he and Thorin originally involved me in, wanting to improve and be able to assist in battle should the need ever call for it.

"Miss Hobbit."

I startled when I heard Fili's voice behind me, gasping from how unexpected it was and turned to face him; it was strange that he was even in the main section of the house, being abandoned as it was with Beorn not there. I felt my heart racing in my chest from him spooking me and I sighed deeply as I tried to calm back down.

"What are you doing there, geez! Nearly gave me a heart attack!"

I chuckled at him from the humor of him startling me and shook my head before I started to head back to the guest dining hall.

I was stopped in my path from the feel of Fili's hand on my wrist, my eyes widening in surprise as he gently pulled me back so that I wouldn't leave. I found the gesture cute because of how little personal time we had spent together lately – flushing from the thought of him wanting some alone time right now – but upon looking at his face, I knew it was not that.

There was a dark emotion in those blue eyes of his that bore into mine, his hand letting my wrist go so that he could pull my entire body close.

"I've missed you."

His voice grabbed at the flesh of my bottom but it wasn't until his physical hands kneaded where his voice touched me that I understood just how much he wanted. He urged me closer where he groaned into the contact, my own eyes fluttering closed when I felt that he was already hard in his breeches.

"I just saw you earlier."

My hands were in his hair, my eyes too busy seeing how much he wanted me for me to comprehend how quickly we both turned from our normal selves into such wanton messes. Already he had incited in me a fire that tugged at my heart, his hands making me gasp from the pleasure of feeling them crushing my body to him. His lips were eager to claim mine, trying to kiss me and being denied when I leaned back away from him.

His eyes were desperate, his voice gruff when he growled, "You deny me?"

I tugged him down so that I could whisper in his ear, "I want you to work for it."

I felt him shudder against me, his hands arching me up so that he could grind the bulge of his trousers against me.

"You want me to work for it?"

His voice was possession and hoarse, his desire nearly breaking him; at the same time, I noticed that the sensation against my skin reminded me of Kili's from that morning. Once more I tried to decipher it's meaning.

I was guided back down the hallway, our pace rushed and uncoordinated, nearly tripping in our haste to get to wherever Fili wanted us to go. I understood the press of a door behind me, moaned his name when his teeth nipped at the skin of my neck and reached out to open the door so that we could go in. The instant we were inside the room, Fili turned us so that I was once again pressed against the door, trapped between him and the cool surface.

"I'll work for it," He breathed out as he once more nipped at my neck, his hands reaching down underneath my skirt to untie the laces of my bloomers and yank them down. His voice still lingered over me strangely, his teeth biting at my shoulder once he shoved aside the fabric, "But you'll have to beg me for it later." His eyes were hot and heavy and he was desperate as he crushed his lips to mine with bruising force, panting as he pinned me to the door and rutted against me.

"What brought this on?"

I asked him as he had me step out of my bloomers; the second my legs were free of them, his fingers dipped underneath my skirts again and found my wetness, guiding his fingers to rub at my hardened bud and drive me crazy. I gasped from the sensation, holding onto his shoulders as a wave of pleasure washed over me and made my knees tremble.

"Do you want him?"

Fili's question coupled with the sensation that I couldn't recognize left me confused, what thoughts I could manage instantly torn from me when his thick fingers pressed inside me and started to work me to orgasm. "Want who?"

I clung to him as he curved his fingers and expertly circled my clit with the pad of his calloused thumb, his eyes watching me for my reactions and seeing that I was close. He stopped himself before he could bring me to the edge. I groaned in frustration for being denied and grabbed at the fabric of his jacket, my teeth worrying my lip when he slowly started to explore with his fingers.

"Flowers for that beast and you were in his room." Fili practically growled his displeasure, his fingers once again picking up where they left off, "Do you want him?"

I moaned because once more I was worked closer to the edge of my climax and once more, Fili stopped; I wanted to pull his hair and bury my face into the fur of his jacket with how idiotic Fili was because once again, he was wrong about everything.

I thought about the sensation of his voice and how it lingered over me and without even wanting to, I found my mind replaying the earlier conversation I had with Kili and picking at the various things he said. My eyes widened in realization because mistakenly, I thought it had been shame earlier.

"Is this jealousy?"

Spurned on by the truth of my question, Fili stopped his ministrations and freed himself from his breeches, "Why wouldn't I be jealous? You're mine and yet you court him by giving him flowers."

"He asked a favor of me while he was away. Nothing more."

The heat of my words stalled the golden haired dwarf, his eyes staring into mine as he tried to see the validity of my words, knowing already that I spoke the truth because I had never lied to him at any point in our adventure.

"This is the truth?"

"Of course it's the truth!" I tugged him to kiss me, groaning when those lips met mine again and his tongue delved into my mouth so that he could taste me. "You're such an oaf, Fili." I breathed out when he finally pulled back, his expression now wanting without the darkness behind those eyes of his. Still, I could sense the need to claim me pull at him, his hands making that evident when he lifted my skirts and picked me up.

Once more I was made to realize that he could easily hold my weight, easily keep me pinned against him. I wanted him desperately and I couldn't handle waiting anymore. "Please!" I kissed him again when I felt his cock rub along my wetness, groaning when he felt how slick I was.

"Beg me for it, Bilbo."

His voice grabbed at my bottom, forced the breath from my lungs with how wrecked he was from holding off.

"Yavanna, I need your cock!"

His pupils were blown wide with arousal, sweat gathered on his forehead, and yet he did not rush to follow up my words. His eyes were desperate with emotion, searching for something in my own that could appease him.

"I need to hear my name, Bilbo. I need to hear that it's me you want."

His turmoil was enough for me to snap out of the haze of arousal that kept me from thinking rationally; I saw in Fili's face a need to be assured even by the simplistic means of saying his name while I was having sex with him. Given the nature of our relationship and how Fili himself seemed the most comfortable with sharing me, it was heart warming to find that at times he could be prone to insecurity and doubt.

"Fili, I need you to make love to me."

Those words were all it took to assuage any of Fili's doubt, his lips once more claiming mine as he guided his cock inside me and groaned from the tightness that engulfed him. Each thrust was hard, driving into me deeply and hitting against soft walls in all the right places. I clung to him as he thrust into me, his gasps of my name driving me closer to the orgasm I long sought.

We didn't last long given how rough we were with one another, Fili's words pushing me over the edge when he groaned, "I want you to cum on my cock." He swore as he thrust in deeply, "Need to feel everything."

It was a dangerous request but I couldn't have kept my orgasm from happening anymore than I could willingly ask him to stop or slow down. My hands clung to him as my orgasm ripped through me, my body shuddering against him as he was quickly forced to pull out, and came right after me.

It took me forever to catch my breath afterwards, still clinging to him as he gently guided us down so that he could get off his feet, his head resting on my shoulder.I listened as he panted and gulped for air, giggling when I heard him chuckle beside me, his voice light with happiness as it pinched at me.

"I love you, Miss Hobbit. I truly do."

"As I love you, you big, silly oaf of a dwarf."

I truly meant it as well, stopping him when he moved to get up so that I could just hold him and enjoy his close presence. I didn't want to head back to the others just yet. I wanted it to just be Fili and I. I wanted him to understand that I wasn't going anywhere.